I picked up a 300tdi R380 and a 1.410 t-case. Hopefully I should be good to go now.

I used Ashcroft's ratio calculator to try to figure out the optimal gearing and I decided the truck would be too weak with the 1.211 t-case. I contemplated just going with the 1.667 ratio that was used in the Defender 2.8i but after comparing the RPM figures to BMW's power graphs it was apparent the M54 would still be more powerful than the M52 (with a 1.667 ratio) if I went with a 1.410 ratio and the RPMs would be a little lower at highway speeds, so I decided that would be a good balance of power and efficiency. With the 1.410 and the 300tdi gearbox the RPMs also match up well with what I've observed in our E46.

The inside diameter is only ~0.2 mm smaller than what I need. A guy on the Piston Heads forum was also looking for one, but in the end he just bought some oilite bronze and had one made up. The genuine bush (or equivalent) is available to order from South Africa, but it's about $40 plus postage (and up to 3 months shipping time).

Really interesting about the defender clutch housing, there was me thinking I researched this a fair bit! Guess I'll be sticking with my set-up after all!

As for the spigot bearing, I bought a new spigot bearing for mine (P38 input shaft and M52 engine) only to find when I removed the old one it was identical with the one I bought (M52 528i Manual)

P.s. I went for the 1.4 as well, correct choice, 1.2 and 1.6 would be poor matches.

Good luck with the rest of the build

I'm glad I made the correct decision on the transfer case ratio, thanks to you. That's interesting about the pilot bearing. I ordered the Land Rover P38 M51 version as well because I wasn't sure if it was the same as BMW's. Now of course I can't use it with the 300tdi input shaft.

I realized why it was difficult to source a generic bushing that matches the genuine Defender 2.8i pilot bushing because the outside diameter is metric (32mm) and the inside diameter is standard/SAE (7/8"). We'll just machine out the bore on the generic one to match. Hopefully that'll work out well.

Nice project. I am interested in it as I am following a similar way: putting a M54 in a 110. Engine, gearbox and transfer box are in the chassis. Next step is working on the wiring loom.
Unfortunately it's not going as quick as I would like due to a serious lack of time.

Nice project. I am interested in it as I am following a similar way: putting a M54 in a 110. Engine, gearbox and transfer box are in the chassis. Next step is working on the wiring loom.
Unfortunately it's not going as quick as I would like due to a serious lack of time.

Welcome! That's awesome! Do you have a build thread? I'm excited to hear about your progress. I, myself haven't yet dug into the Landy side of the wiring, but I imagine it's fairly simple.

No, do not have a build thread. But here is a picture of the gearbox and the transfer box. I made a connexion housing machined to connect my X3 gearbox to the Lt230.
Hope to find the wiring as easy as you imagine, otherwise I will came back to you for some tips.

As mentioned the transfer box is more reward, not only due to the longer gearbox but also because we put the engine more reward too; it's also located lower, should bring the center of gravity down and improve the front/rear weight distribution. It also bring it out of the the steering box. Regarding to the gear levers, will decide how to do it as soon as the body is back in place.

Ah, very clever indeed! Thanks for the picture! I can see that my alternator will need to be moved. But I may be able to use the top mount and just swing it up. I guess I'll know when I get to that point.

Nice project. I am interested in it as I am following a similar way: putting a M54 in a 110. Engine, gearbox and transfer box are in the chassis. Next step is working on the wiring loom.
Unfortunately it's not going as quick as I would like due to a serious lack of time.

Olivier which M54 did you use?
Looks like they go from just over 2 liters to just over 3 liters with a fairly broad performance range.

Transmission adapter looks good, is that an X3 automatic?

__________________
RDavisinVA

Uncle "Richard" Douglas has a Land Rover with big wheels that never gets stuck... until he breaks something so it won't go. Uncle Douglas always breaks something. - Anna Crowther at the Conclave 2012 (AKA Carburetor Neck)

Some of the parts listed in the catalogue are wrong, at least on allbrit.de. It shows the part number for the right side air intake grill for the Defender 2.8i, but it is of course on the left side. I ordered the correct one though, but I did order the wrong bushings for the grill. It lists AJU1136, but those are far too large. The correct bush must be 359526, which is listed with the 200tdi air intake.

I have a factory plastic one that just came in (mine was all cracked). Question: is it difficult to install? And do you have to completely remove and disconnect the instrument panel including all lights and Speedo cable to install it?

I was hoping to tackle it this weekend but not too long back when I replaced all the dash lights with green LED I ended up breaking my speedo cable which I just got fixed at the shop. I didn't have the lower dash yet otherwise I would have had them install.

I'd hate to break the speedo cable again. If you do need to remove it what is the best way?

I have a factory plastic one that just came in (mine was all cracked). Question: is it difficult to install? And do you have to completely remove and disconnect the instrument panel including all lights and Speedo cable to install it?

I was hoping to tackle it this weekend but not too long back when I replaced all the dash lights with green LED I ended up breaking my speedo cable which I just got fixed at the shop. I didn't have the lower dash yet otherwise I would have had them install.

I'd hate to break the speedo cable again. If you do need to remove it what is the best way?